Archives: Podcast

Graphic Designer Runs Intervals in Wellness Industry

What It’s About

A freelancer hits her target zone designing for health and wellness professionals.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

Jess has some great advice for freelancers starting out, “I would say, do all types of projects. Work with lots of different people, on different types of projects. Figure out what you like and don’t like. Then zero in and niche down on what you love.”

Fun Fact

Jess is a self-claimed health and wellness fanatic. She loves learning from her clients. Jess was diagnosed a Type 1 diabetic since she was 3 years old, so her health has always been at the forefront of her mind.

Notes from Chris

Episode 985

During college, Jess Freeman designed a t-shirt for a group on campus. In return, she earned a grand total of $10 and a free t-shirt. This was the humble beginning of her side hustle journey! When she finished her degree in graphic design, she worked as an intern and a communications manager at a few local churches. After a couple years, she moved on to full-time at a creative agency.

Throughout her time working a day job, Jess often had a steady stream of freelance work. One time, a friend-of-a-friend recommended her to some local moms who wanted to start a science subscription box for kids. Jess designed the instruction cards and booklet that came with the box. Getting this job was especially helpful because she had just moved to a new city and didn’t know many people.

She began working with other freelancers to create their online presence and branding. Soon, this graphic design and website building side hustle was bringing in more than DOUBLE her salary. So one Friday night when she came home from work she told her husband she was not happy at her job. They talked it over and decided it was time to jump wholeheartedly into Jess Creatives. She gave notice to her job on Monday. After only three weeks, Jess had a waitlist of interested clients.

One thing that helped was to try as many types of projects as she could. This way she could build her business and start zeroing in on what she was particularly good at. Jess says that finding her niche was a long process—and at first, it wasn’t an intentional one. Jess would make small tweaks to her website, gently signaling to others (and perhaps herself) who her ideal clients were.

In the process, she learned she loved working with female business owners in the health and wellness industry. Jess naturally gravitated to this niche in part because she was diagnosed as a Type 1 diabetic at the age of three.

She narrowed her focus by sending out an email to her health and wellness clients telling them about her shift. She also asked them to spread the word to their colleagues.

Next, she decided to focus her social media platform toward health and wellness businesses. This includes a YouTube channel, a podcast, Instagram, a blog, and of course, her website.

During this time, she also engaged with as many health and wellness professionals as she could find. Her goal was to get in front of as many people in her field as possible.

With a startup cost of $20 per month for her website and a projected income of $80,000 this year, Jess’s side hustle is in good shape. Additionally, 90% of her clients now come from her desired field of health and wellness.

Jess plans to continue working with clients advancing their side hustles in the health and wellness field. She’ll also continue producing her podcast and YouTube channel. In the future, she may expand into speaking and holding live workshops … this time first making sure she knows what her customers want.

 

 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

 

SEE ALSO:

Inspiration is good; inspiration combined with action is better. Now get back to work!

Yours in the revolution,

cg-sig-newsletter

Resources

GET $625 IN FREE TRAVEL

Earn 50,000 travel rewards points (enough for 2 round-trip plane tickets or $625 in travel credit). You'll also earn 2x points on all travel and dining spend, with zero foreign transaction fees.

I use this card every day all over the world! ✈️ Learn More

RELIABLE WEBHOST FOR $2.49/MONTH

Want to build any kind of website for your hustle? If so, you'll need somewhere to host it! This is the reliable company I've used for my past 5 websites. It's cheap, flexible, and you can get support 24 hours a day.

Get your own hosting plan for just $2.49 a month!
Learn More

Quote of the Day
"I would say, do all types of projects. Work with lots of different people, on different types of projects. Figure out what you like and don’t like. Then zero in and niche down on what you love."
—Jess Freeman #SideHustleSchool

Sponsors & Gratitude

Don't Do Business Without It

Side Hustle School is brought to you by American Express.

No matter what you do in business, from working nine-to-five to working five-to-nine, it’s easier when you don’t go it alone. Get the powerful backing of American Express—don't do business without it! 💳 Visit American Express

Like the Show? Leave a Rating!

Side Hustle School is for you! If you’re enjoying it, please take a quick moment to leave a rating or write a quick review. It's really easy and it makes a difference! ✅

It also makes a huge difference when you tell your friends about the show. Remember, it's 100% free and listener-supported.
Here's How

Keep in Touch

There’s a new story every single day on Side Hustle School. Episodes are produced to be short and to the point—I know you’re busy. Be sure you subscribe to get instant notification of the day’s broadcast!


To infinity and beyond,

Chris Guillebeau

Prank Potato Parcels Produce Promising Profits

What It’s About

Proof that a personalized message via mailed potato is not a half-baked idea after all.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

As simple as it is to write a message on a potato, it takes forever!

Fun Fact

The average American eats about 124 pounds of potatoes per year while Germans eat about twice as much.

Notes from Chris

Episode 984

From an early age, Texas-based Alex Craig had big entrepreneurial dreams. As a college student, he had been part of several startups with promise, but they never took off. Post-college, he did what millions of graduates do every year: he went and got a 9-5 job.

Like many of us, Alex didn’t actually have his nose to the grindstone nonstop for eight hours a day. He spent a fair amount of time checking in on social media and browsing the internet.

One of his daily visits was to Reddit—and on one particular day, Wednesday, May 13, 2015, the top post of the day was an image of a potato with a stamp on it. The image titled “I delivered a potato today.”

The post had over 2 million views in less than 4 hours. And while the vast majority of those people simply saw a potato….Alex saw an opportunity!

He thought, “What if mailing potatoes to your friends through the mail could become the next internet trend?”

Alex’s idea was simple: for $9.99, he would send potatoes complete with a handwritten, anonymous message to the person of the customers choice. If all went well, Potatoes by Mail could have its moment of fame and bring fortune to him.

Alex didn’t disagree that it was a stupid idea but he was undeterred. He started working on his website that same evening. Twenty four hours later, Potato Parcel, was online and open for business.

He immediately went back to the original Reddit post, still popular, and posted his new project. On the second day that the project was live, Alex got $2,000 in orders … maybe it wasn’t such a stupid idea after all.

The orders continue to come in and Alex would leave work and spend his evenings inscribing, packing and mailing his potato parcels.

Profits were growing, peaking at around $10,000 per month, but he also knew that fads could have a short shelf life. He thought that the idea had the opportunity to be a viral sensation but knew that the window was narrow.

So that’s when he leveled up by sending cold-emails to all of the local TV stations. One responded, and said their correspondent would be there that evening for an interview.

The local news story also caught the attention of national media and Alex and Potato Parcel were featured shows including Ellen, The Steve Harvey Show, and Good Morning America.

Not surprisingly, Potato Parcel was inundated with orders. Over the next six months, Alex would sell thousands of potatoes and earn $40,000 in profit, one potato at a time. But that’s not all … he was thinking about his exit strategy and how to sell the business from the very beginning.

He’s since launched a digital agency to help companies with their viral marketing and his clients include NBA teams and huge brands like Sony. He’s also written an ebook, The Potato Playbook, about creating an idea that goes viral.

 

 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

 

SEE ALSO:

Inspiration is good; inspiration combined with action is better. Now get back to work!

Yours in the revolution,

cg-sig-newsletter

Resources

CREATE YOUR ONLINE STORE

Create your online store with Shopify using an exclusive discount for Side Hustle School listeners. For a limited time, get a free 21-day trial and a 10% discount for a whole year.

Many Side Hustle School listeners are building sites using Shopify's easy-to-learn platform. Try it free today! Learn More

GET YOUR FIRST 1,000 EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS

Social media is nice, but building an email list is still the single best way to get customers and clients for your hustle. It's not hard to get started—sign up for a 30-day trial and join the list-building challenge! You’ll be up and running in no time. Learn More

Quote of the Day
"Just start! Even if you fail, you’ll learn."
—Alex Craig #SideHustleSchool

Sponsors & Gratitude

Don't Do Business Without It

Side Hustle School is brought to you by American Express.

No matter what you do in business, from working nine-to-five to working five-to-nine, it’s easier when you don’t go it alone. Get the powerful backing of American Express—don't do business without it! 💳 Visit American Express

Like the Show? Leave a Rating!

Side Hustle School is for you! If you’re enjoying it, please take a quick moment to leave a rating or write a quick review. It's really easy and it makes a difference! ✅

It also makes a huge difference when you tell your friends about the show. Remember, it's 100% free and listener-supported.
Here's How

Keep in Touch

There’s a new story every single day on Side Hustle School. Episodes are produced to be short and to the point—I know you’re busy. Be sure you subscribe to get instant notification of the day’s broadcast!


To infinity and beyond,

Chris Guillebeau

Sisters Find Puppy Love After Launching Dating App

What It’s About

Two sisters develop a dating app to help dog lovers fall in love.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

Gather as much advice as you’re comfortable with, but don’t take too much advice. It’s incredibly important to surround yourself with people who will give you mentorship and counsel, but make sure you follow through with only the advice that aligns with your gut and convictions.

Fun Fact

50 million Americans have tried dating apps. 200 million people have tried dating apps internationally. Of those people, each use on average 3-4 apps at a time. Add to that, there are 25 million single dog-owners in the US ages 25+. Combine all that data and a successful dog owner dating app was inevitable.

Notes from Chris

Episode 983
Leigh Isaacson and her sister Casey are dog people through and through. They join the estimated eighty-five million households in the U.S. who call their canine friends “family.” On top of their love for all things dogs, until a few years ago, they both had very demanding careers. Casey skews more creative as an Art Director and was in New York City. Leigh’s background is in TV news reporting and homeland security and is still based out of New Orleans.

Their pupners in crime help them relax and unwind from their busy lives. If you’ve ever come home to an enthusiastic dog who acts like your return is the most exciting thing that’s ever happened to them, you know the feeling of unconditional love they give.

But, finding love of another sort proved difficult—for Casey in particular. A few years ago, she was dating a guy who wasn’t really a dog person. He tried at first, always allowing her pup to come over when they were hanging out. But, quite quickly, things began to change and, toward the end of the relationship he didn’t want the dog in his apartment.

The pangs of heartbreak followed. Before too long, Casey found herself single again, crying on her sister Leigh’s shoulder. “‘I wish I knew from the start that this wasn’t going to work because of my dog,” she said.

But every cloud has a silver lining … and out that sadness came the bark of an idea.

Leigh and Casey, like everyone else their age, had seen the recent rise of dating apps like Tinder. They also knew that there’d been a corresponding rise in popularity of niche dating apps for those looking for a specific type of partner.

Together they decided to launch a dating app, specifically targeting dog lovers. They figured they could overlap the enormous pet industry, with the rapidly growing online dating industry. It seemed like the perfect idea with only one problem: neither of the sisters knew how to create an app… Doggonit!

With time to dedicate to their idea they applied to IDEAx, a local tech incubator and training ground for new businesses. They were accepted and received a hands on developer who’d help them turn their idea into reality over the next four months. The time flew by, and soon they were ready to launch their creation. They called it Dig. It all happened around Valentine’s Day 2018.

As far as apps go, Dig is on a path to success. Over a hundred and ten thousand people have downloaded it and are searching for their perfect puppy-loving partner. They’ve already received stories of couples getting together … and in some cases, even a couple’s dogs falling in love first.

0

The sisters have a very specific plan to start monetizing their users directly once they reach certain milestones. That will include monthly subscriptions and additional features for rabid fans of the app, with pricing starting from just a few dollars a month.

Even though the Dig app has only been around for one and a half years—that’s around 10 dog years—so their track record is impressive. They’ve proven that combining the pet industry with online dating is indeed quite fetching.

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • Dig: Check out Leigh and Casey’s app. Maybe you’ll find that special dog lover you’ve always been looking for.

SEE ALSO:

Inspiration is good; inspiration combined with action is better. Now get back to work!

Yours in the revolution,

cg-sig-newsletter

Resources

WEB HOSTING @ $2.49/MONTH

Want to build any kind of website for your hustle? If so, you'll need somewhere to host it! This is the reliable company I've used for many websites. It's cheap, flexible, and offers support 24-7.

Get your own hosting plan for just $2.49 a month!
Learn More

GET $625 IN FREE TRAVEL

Earn 50,000 travel rewards points (enough for 2 round-trip plane tickets or $625 in travel credit). You'll also earn 2x points on all travel and dining spend, with zero foreign transaction fees.

I use this card every day all over the world! ✈️ Learn More

Quote of the Day
"Gather as much advice as you’re comfortable with, but don’t take too much advice. It’s incredibly important to surround yourself with people who will give you mentorship and counsel, but make sure you follow through with only the advice that aligns with your gut and convictions. "
—Leigh Isaacson #SideHustleSchool

Sponsors & Gratitude

Try ShipStation for 60 Days FREE!

Today’s episode of Side Hustle School is brought to you by ShipStation, the #1 choice of online sellers. 📦

To get a 30-day trial AND an additional month free, click the microphone at the top of their page and enter the word HUSTLE.
Get it Here

Like the Show? Leave a Rating!

Side Hustle School is for you! If you’re enjoying it, please take a quick moment to leave a rating or write a quick review. It's really easy and it makes a difference! ✅

It also makes a huge difference when you tell your friends about the show. Remember, it's 100% free and listener-supported.
Here's How

Keep in Touch

There’s a new story every single day on Side Hustle School. Episodes are produced to be short and to the point—I know you’re busy. Be sure you subscribe to get instant notification of the day’s broadcast!


To infinity and beyond,

Chris Guillebeau

Dance Teacher Launches Toe Tapping Online Course

What It’s About

A dance lover taps out a profitable online course and video series.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

Forget how you think you’re supposed to do this, and what you think everyone wants. Focus on one person, and help them with all your heart.

Fun Fact

Bills original plan was to film, edit and launch the course in five weeks, with filming set for the first week. While he stuck to the filming schedule, the rest of the process took over six months, completely blowing out his original estimate. You can’t rush perfection!

Notes from Chris

Episode 982

Bill Simpson believes it’s impossible to be unhappy tap dancing. He also believes that everyone secretly wants to learn how to do it. This opinion comes from personal experience: he’s dedicated his life to mastering the art of tap.

Bill’s captivation led him to serious study. Slowly but surely, he began to master the art form. Over the course of the next decade, he became a bonafide tap dancing star in his own right. Eventually, he became one of the most well-respected tap dancers in Australia! He choreographed shows, performed in musicals, and learned from masters all over the world.

In short, tap dancing was Bill’s life. Beyond performing, teaching tap became his full-time job and main source of income into his late twenties. He enjoyed it, but it had one big, built-in problem. He was only one person, and one person can only teach so much—even when that person can tap dance as fast as he can.

You see, teaching didn’t afford Bill the flexibility he wanted in life. It was an in-person job, and if you weren’t there, you weren’t paid. On top of that, although he loved tap, he’d spent so much of his life dedicated to it that he was feeling the urge to try new things. He wanted to dance to the beat of a different drum. But, with the way his life was set up, it just wasn’t possible.

Bill decided he had to make a change, and that he’d start a side hustle with the goal of creating a full-time income. The answer of what to do was somewhat obvious … he chose to create an online tap dancing course. In this course, he’d cover all the main steps and film in high-res video from different angles. He wanted to make the most definitive course on tap dancing that existed … anywhere.

What helped him shuffle forward was forgetting about the enormity of the task. Instead of trying to make the perfect course for everyone, he focused on making the perfect course for one person. For him, that person was a version of his sixteen-year-old self.

With that character firmly in mind, he powered through and finished. It took six months in total, but he was incredibly proud of it.

To make it accessible to customers, he’d need a website. He got lucky when his preferred domain name, HowToTapDance.com, was available. He registered it straight away, credit card fumbling in his hands the whole time. He installed WordPress and used his own rudimentary skills to modify a premium theme to his liking.

It was April 2016 when he was ready to launch—The JustTap Tap Dancing Course was about to take centre stage. Bill was confident he’d delivered on what he set out to do, providing the best tap dancing course out there.

He’d built an email list from teaching over the years and he used it to kick things off. Roughly 1,000 people were notified via newsletter that the course was ready for purchase. Within the first few days, he’d made $1,500 in sales. He was clicking his heels all the way to the bank!

But sales dwindled fast. With the original source of sales tapped out, Bill decided to turn to YouTube. He edited parts of the course into an eight-minute video tutorial that covered some of the early course material.

In fact, that video is so successful, it’s the main driver of sales to Bill’s website. Which, in the last year has generated $40,000 for him. It’s enough revenue that he’s taken a step back from teaching and now has the time and finances to explore other passions and interests.

Today, Bill is grateful that he didn’t tap off into the sunset. He pushed through his self-doubt, and hot shoe hustled his way to success.

 

 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • HowToTapDance.com Tap dance your way over to Bill’s website to start tapping. No experience needed!
  • Bill’s YouTube Video Over 1.2 million views and counting! Check out Bill’s How to TAP DANCE – Beginner Tutorial video.

 

SEE ALSO:

Inspiration is good; inspiration combined with action is better. Now get back to work!

Yours in the revolution,

cg-sig-newsletter

Resources

WEB HOSTING @ $2.49/MONTH

Want to build any kind of website for your hustle? If so, you'll need somewhere to host it! This is the reliable company I've used for many websites. It's cheap, flexible, and offers support 24-7.

Get your own hosting plan for just $2.49 a month!
Learn More

GET $625 IN FREE TRAVEL

Earn 50,000 travel rewards points (enough for 2 round-trip plane tickets or $625 in travel credit). You'll also earn 2x points on all travel and dining spend, with zero foreign transaction fees.

I use this card every day all over the world! ✈️ Learn More

Quote of the Day
"Forget how you think you’re supposed to do this, and what you think everyone wants. Focus on one person, and help them with all your heart."
—Bill Simpson #SideHustleSchool

Sponsors & Gratitude

Don't Do Business Without It

Side Hustle School is brought to you by American Express.

No matter what you do in business, from working nine-to-five to working five-to-nine, it’s easier when you don’t go it alone. Get the powerful backing of American Express—don't do business without it! 💳 Visit American Express

Like the Show? Leave a Rating!

Side Hustle School is for you! If you’re enjoying it, please take a quick moment to leave a rating or write a quick review. It's really easy and it makes a difference! ✅

It also makes a huge difference when you tell your friends about the show. Remember, it's 100% free and listener-supported.
Here's How

Keep in Touch

There’s a new story every single day on Side Hustle School. Episodes are produced to be short and to the point—I know you’re busy. Be sure you subscribe to get instant notification of the day’s broadcast!


To infinity and beyond,

Chris Guillebeau

WEEKLY RECAP: Planning Ahead for a Big Q4

Notes from Chris

Episode 981

THEMES & TAKEAWAYS:

We’ve just finished week 36 of Season III! This week featured a mochi-making empire, cosplay costumes made with 3D printing, and more.

This week we had Labor Day in the United States, which the Onward Project has now repurposed as #HappierLaborDay. Work should be something to be celebrated and enjoyed, not deferred or avoided. If you hate your work, most likely you’re doing the wrong kind of work.

In the spirit of being proactive, let’s talk about something that’s important to a lot of businesses, especially ecommerce, retail, and anything where you’re selling a product that could possibly be given as a gift—even if it’s a bit of a stretch.

What am I talking about? The fourth quarter of the year, of course! Especially in regards to holiday sales and promotions.

I know we have a long time to go until the holidays themselves, but if you want to plan an effective promotion, you need to plan ahead. It doesn’t do you any good for me to pop up the week before Thanksgiving and say, “Have you planned your Black Friday promotion?”—because to do it properly will take some time and effort.

Listen to the Weekly Recap to learn more!

WHERE ARE THEY NOW:

Today, we have an update from Brian Thompson who was featured on the show in Ep. 91 — Copywriter Carves 140 Characters into $50,000 in Cash.

Listen to the Weekly Recap to hear from Brian!

You can also check out his website, Permanent140!

EPISODES FROM THIS WEEK:

Here’s what we heard this week on Side Hustle School! Listen to this week’s recap for a more comprehensive highlight reel.

  • Ep. 975 — When three co-workers notice their colleagues using paper towels to open restroom doors, they invent a simple solution that’s a step above the rest.
  • Ep. 976 — Drawing on her Japanese heritage, a Bay Area teacher offers mochi classes using Airbnb Experiences.
  • Ep. 977 — With a 3D printer and sense of imagination, a California natural gas industry worker takes superhero DIY cosplay to a whole new level.
  • Ep. 978 — A Houston pharmaceutical sales representative delights gift recipients with illustrated greeting cards that tell the tales of their lives.
  • Ep. 979 — When an Australian student is in need of spending money, she starts a bikini side hustle that grows well beyond “itsy bitsy.
  • Ep. 980 — When longboard surfboards went out of style in the 1970s, thousands of them were selling at just $10 apiece. This aspiring ‘shaper’ knew it was a wave he had to catch a ride on.

Inspiration is good; inspiration combined with action is better. Now get back to work!

Yours in the revolution,

cg-sig-newsletter

We want to hear from you!

The best part of Side Hustle School is our community, and around 20% of our episodes come from listeners. Are you working on something and want to share it with us and our audience? If so, we want to hear from you!

Head on over to our online submission page, and we’ll be in touch if your story is chosen.

And if you’re still working on something but have some questions, we want to hear from you too! Most Weekly Recap episodes include Listener Q&A.

Call the Side Hustle Hotline at 844-9-HUSTLE (844-948-7853), record your question and send it to podcast@sidehustleschool.com, or just send us an email!

Here’s what’s coming up next…

Each week I’ll feature more stories from people who are starting side hustles without quitting their job. Here’s a sneak peek of what’s coming next week:

  • When a tap dance teacher overcomes self-doubt and launches an online course, he proves to himself that he’s not tapped out.
  • After experimenting with many options, a designer learns that she works best with clients in the fitness and wellness fields.
  • And much more!

Do you have a side hustle story you’d like to share? Fill out the Side Hustle School submission form and your story may be featured on the show!

Also, if you’re interested in joining the Side Hustle Society, visit our Society page to get notified when it goes live!

Resources

GET $625 IN FREE TRAVEL

Earn 50,000 travel rewards points (enough for 2 round-trip plane tickets or $625 in travel credit). You'll also earn 2x points on all travel and dining spend, with zero foreign transaction fees.

I use this card every day all over the world! ✈️ Learn More

CREATE YOUR ONLINE STORE

Create your online store with Shopify using an exclusive discount for Side Hustle School listeners. For a limited time, get a free 21-day trial and a 10% discount for a whole year.

Many Side Hustle School listeners are building sites using Shopify's easy-to-learn platform. Try it free today! Learn More

Quote of the Day
"It’s always a good time to reflect on your life and make changes—but something that can be done at any time is often done at no time. What are you laboring for?"
—#SideHustleSchool

Sponsors & Gratitude

Learn More With Skillshare!

Supporting the sponsors keeps the show free. Today’s episode of Side Hustle School is brought to you by Skillshare. 📷

Skillshare is giving Side Hustle School listeners 2 months of unlimited access—for $0.99! Join the 2 million students learning everything from street photography to SEO on Skillshare today!
Get Started Here!

Like the Show? Leave a Rating!

Side Hustle School is for you! If you’re enjoying it, please take a quick moment to leave a rating or write a quick review. It's really easy and it makes a difference! ✅

It also makes a huge difference when you tell your friends about the show. Remember, it's 100% free and listener-supported.


Here's How

Keep in Touch

There’s a new story every single day on Side Hustle School. Episodes are produced to be short and to the point—I know you’re busy. Be sure you subscribe to get instant notification of the day’s broadcast!


To infinity and beyond,

Chris Guillebeau

Surfboard Shaper Boards New Wave

What It’s About

For over 40 years, a surfer rides on endless stoke shaping boards.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

If you’re thinking, “what school do I need to attend to do a job like this?”, here’s what Luke advises, “There is ZERO formal training or apprenticeship to become a shaper. My best advice would be to get a job at one of the factories in California.”

Fun Fact

Luke had itchy arms a lot as a kid, and he didn’t realize why until years later: it was all the fiberglass he was sanding off old boards without physical protection.

Notes from Chris

Episode 980

Luke Alvarez loved surfing as a kid. It was his favorite summer pastime, but the passion never quite felt complete. He had a dream of shaping his own boards someday. Shaping is essentially creating your own board from stock plywood: applying your own design and adding subtle curves and grooves—but it was a hobby that required money, because boards weren’t cheap.

In the early 70’s, surfing underwent a massive shift. Ten-foot longboards fell out of style as shorter, six-foot boards crested a new wave in popularity. The shift brought thousands of new surfers into the sport—and left thousands more with old longboards they no longer wanted. Luke realized it was his chance to get into the business without crazy startup costs, because by 1972, fully functional longboards sold for $10 or less—he didn’t have to search for trashed boards anymore!

It seemed almost too good to be true. His base product was at clearance-level prices, and all he needed were fin boxes, fins, resin, and fiberglass. So, he got to work. He shaped and sold his first few boards that year for $100-300 to people in his network. It became an annual side hustle. Every summer, he’d go find unwanted longboards, shave them down, reshape them to meet the more current designs, and resell them for a nice profit.

A full decade later, he was shaping and selling at least 30 boards annually, priced between $200 and $500 apiece—all from word of mouth. There weren’t any more $10 boards laying around, but Luke reached out to wholesale surfboard manufacturers in California and Mexico to get the best prices he could find. So while the margins weren’t as great as they had been—now somewhere around 25-30%—the higher prices he sold his finished product for made it worth it.

In Luke’s mind, he’d done it. He’d accomplished his dream of being a skilled shaper and was making real money on the side from it. So he just kept it up for years and years. It was extra money with no pressure.

At some point, he got the itch to do something new. He began spending his summers not only shaping boards, but teaching kids how to surf and shape their own. He loved passing on his expertise to younger generations—which is also what drove him to become a 7th-grade science teacher a few years earlier.

Luke is still making between 30 and 50 boards each year, and with a 28% net margin on average, it’s a notable side hustle income. But while the money’s great, the more rewarding part for him—decades in the making—is seeing his students fall in love with the sport and craft of shaping boards, just like he did forty years ago.

 

 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

 

SEE ALSO:

Inspiration is good; inspiration combined with action is better. Now get back to work!

Yours in the revolution,

cg-sig-newsletter

Resources

GET $625 IN FREE TRAVEL

Earn 50,000 travel rewards points (enough for 2 round-trip plane tickets or $625 in travel credit). You'll also earn 2x points on all travel and dining spend, with zero foreign transaction fees.

I use this card every day all over the world! ✈️ Learn More

RELIABLE WEBHOST FOR $2.49/MONTH

Want to build any kind of website for your hustle? If so, you'll need somewhere to host it! This is the reliable company I've used for my past 5 websites. It's cheap, flexible, and you can get support 24 hours a day.

Get your own hosting plan for just $2.49 a month!
Learn More

Quote of the Day
"The best part of building surfboards is the relationship I have with a company I donate adaptive surfboards to be used to take people with disabilities out to surf for a day. It is very rewarding."
—Luke Alvarez #SideHustleSchool

Sponsors & Gratitude

Don't Do Business Without It

Side Hustle School is brought to you by American Express.

No matter what you do in business, from working nine-to-five to working five-to-nine, it’s easier when you don’t go it alone. Get the powerful backing of American Express—don't do business without it! 💳 Visit American Express

Like the Show? Leave a Rating!

Side Hustle School is for you! If you’re enjoying it, please take a quick moment to leave a rating or write a quick review. It's really easy and it makes a difference! ✅

It also makes a huge difference when you tell your friends about the show. Remember, it's 100% free and listener-supported.
Here's How

Keep in Touch

There’s a new story every single day on Side Hustle School. Episodes are produced to be short and to the point—I know you’re busy. Be sure you subscribe to get instant notification of the day’s broadcast!


To infinity and beyond,

Chris Guillebeau

Aussie Student Starts Million-Dollar Bikini Biz

What It’s About

A budget savvy student turns a little product into huge profits!

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

Although many factories won’t accept small orders of products, Ana says that with research, it is possible to find places that will produce orders that value less than $1,000. Although it doesn’t seem like it, places like this really do exist, so don’t give up the search!

Fun Fact

The first record of a bikini is from the 1400 B.C Roman mosaic, Chamber of the Ten Maidens. It wasn’t until 1600 years later, in 1946, that French designer Jacques Heim introduced an itsy bitsy teenie weenie two-piece swimsuit called the “atom” after the smallest known piece of matter and began the modern trend.

Notes from Chris

Episode 979

Ana Gavia was working her way through university in Australia. Although her studies kept her busy enough, Ana only had $200 in her bank account. She needed to find a way to make more money, and fast.

But rather than getting another typical job for a student, like waiting tables or working in retail, she was drawn to ecommerce, especially the world of fashion. Although she had no experience in entrepreneurship, she was excited about the idea of starting her own business.

The little money in her bank account meant that Ana had no other option but to start her side hustle on a budget. So, even though Ana was interested in fashion, she learned through research that to produce just one dress, it would cost close to $50. That would be one-fourth of the total money she had.

So, casting that idea aside, she began to wonder how she could still have a fashion business but with cheap startup costs. That’s when she realized that the less material her items were made of, the less it would cost to produce. What’s an item of clothing that doesn’t include much material? Bikinis, of course.

Not only were they cost-effective, Ana had also grown up on a coastal beach town and had gone through her fair share of swimsuits. She knew exactly what worked well and what didn’t.

With the idea in mind, Ana began her first design. She made sure to include two critical features: adjustable straps and underwire support.

Over the last two years, Ana has grown Pinkcolada into a million-dollar business. She dove into the world of entrepreneurship head first, without much money or experience. By taking action without overthinking it, Ana was able to create an online store and course correct along the way.

 

 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

 

SEE ALSO:

Inspiration is good; inspiration combined with action is better. Now get back to work!

Yours in the revolution,

cg-sig-newsletter

Resources

CREATE YOUR ONLINE STORE

Create your online store with Shopify using an exclusive discount for Side Hustle School listeners. For a limited time, get a free 21-day trial and a 10% discount for a whole year.

Many Side Hustle School listeners are building sites using Shopify's easy-to-learn platform. Try it free today! Learn More

GET YOUR FIRST 1,000 EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS

Social media is nice, but building an email list is still the single best way to get customers and clients for your hustle. It's not hard to get started—sign up for a 30-day trial and join the list-building challenge! You’ll be up and running in no time. Learn More

Quote of the Day
"I wouldn’t do anything differently… taking on a lot of tasks from the start forces you to make mistakes, learn and adapt much more quickly"
—Ana Gavia #SideHustleSchool

Sponsors & Gratitude

Don't Do Business Without It

Side Hustle School is brought to you by American Express.

No matter what you do in business, from working nine-to-five to working five-to-nine, it’s easier when you don’t go it alone. Get the powerful backing of American Express—don't do business without it! 💳 Visit American Express

Like the Show? Leave a Rating!

Side Hustle School is for you! If you’re enjoying it, please take a quick moment to leave a rating or write a quick review. It's really easy and it makes a difference! ✅

It also makes a huge difference when you tell your friends about the show. Remember, it's 100% free and listener-supported.
Here's How

Keep in Touch

There’s a new story every single day on Side Hustle School. Episodes are produced to be short and to the point—I know you’re busy. Be sure you subscribe to get instant notification of the day’s broadcast!


To infinity and beyond,

Chris Guillebeau

Illustrated Greeting Cards Provide Personal Touch

What It’s About

An MBA student draws up the perfect way to send personalized greetings cards.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

Alex has some great words of encouragement to share from his side hustle journey:

“I have failed so many times with Tellinga but have gotten back up and tried to improve for the next time. I see and hear too many people talking themselves out of great ideas because they develop paralysis by analysis. Quit talking about it and start being about it!”

Fun Fact

Alex had wanted to name his company “Snail Tales,” a play on the term “snail mail,” but the domain would have cost tens of thousands of dollars to buy. So, he crowdsourced the name by creating a poll and asking people to choose their favorite from nine names he brainstormed.

Notes from Chris

Episode 978

We’ve all stood in front of the racks containing dozens of greeting cards looking for just the right one. But that unicorn card seldom appears because greeting cards are so often generic and trite. Meanwhile, most snail mail these days consists of junk promotions and bills. When we do hear from our family and friends on a special occasion, it’s often in the form of a digital message via social media, text, or email.

A pharmaceutical sales rep by day and an MBA student by night, Alex Kurkowski of Houston saw this from both sides.

He disliked mass-produced greeting cards … and he fondly remembered getting letters in the mail from his grandmother. Later, he had a pen pal and enjoyed the anticipation of checking the mailbox for a letter each week. Then, as an adult, he started sending cards and letters to family and friends complete with silly doodles and stick figures as a way to stay in touch. The recipients said they loved opening the mailbox to find something special and personal.

And it’s that experience that led him to his side hustle, Tellinga.

Tellinga creates personalized, hand-drawn greeting cards. The sender chooses a story length—either one day, one or two weeks, or one month—and uploads a photo of the hero of the story with a description of the story they wish the cards to tell. The story can be funny, dramatic, romantic, or anything you choose. It can even be a fictional story. You can make the recipient into a superhero or the leading lady or gentleman in a romance!

Tellinga’s team of illustrators and artists will then tell your story through personalized illustrations. A few days later, the recipient will start receiving the one-of-a-kind greeting card-sized illustrations in their physical, not digital, mailbox every other day until the package ends and their story is complete. Who wouldn’t be thrilled to open that envelope?

Having completed his degree, he has plans to integrate a sharing economy model into Tellinga in an effort to streamline the onboarding of aspiring artists and writers. The writers will create love letters, poems, or fun narratives which will be paired with the illustrations to more fully tell the stories that people want to share.

For stories that are too good to end, Tellinga hopes to soon offer a subscription plan.

 

 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • Tellinga: Check out this fun and personalized take on greeting cards at Tellinga’s site.

 

SEE ALSO:

Inspiration is good; inspiration combined with action is better. Now get back to work!

Yours in the revolution,

cg-sig-newsletter

Resources

GET $625 IN FREE TRAVEL

Earn 50,000 travel rewards points (enough for 2 round-trip plane tickets or $625 in travel credit). You'll also earn 2x points on all travel and dining spend, with zero foreign transaction fees.

I use this card every day all over the world! ✈️ Learn More

RELIABLE WEBHOST FOR $2.49/MONTH

Want to build any kind of website for your hustle? If so, you'll need somewhere to host it! This is the reliable company I've used for my past 5 websites. It's cheap, flexible, and you can get support 24 hours a day.

Get your own hosting plan for just $2.49 a month!
Learn More

Quote of the Day
"Quit planning and start failing."
—Alex Kurkowski #SideHustleSchool

Sponsors & Gratitude

Don't Do Business Without It

Side Hustle School is brought to you by American Express.

No matter what you do in business, from working nine-to-five to working five-to-nine, it’s easier when you don’t go it alone. Get the powerful backing of American Express—don't do business without it! 💳 Visit American Express

Like the Show? Leave a Rating!

Side Hustle School is for you! If you’re enjoying it, please take a quick moment to leave a rating or write a quick review. It's really easy and it makes a difference! ✅

It also makes a huge difference when you tell your friends about the show. Remember, it's 100% free and listener-supported.
Here's How

Keep in Touch

There’s a new story every single day on Side Hustle School. Episodes are produced to be short and to the point—I know you’re busy. Be sure you subscribe to get instant notification of the day’s broadcast!


To infinity and beyond,

Chris Guillebeau

3D Printing Brings Cosplay Into 21st Century

What It’s About

An engineer takes customized cosplay to the next level with a 3D printer.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

A self-described nerd, Nikko has a good sense of what others in the community will like. But no one can get it right all of the time. For example, he felt certain that a figurine of a popular female cosplayer and a Batman design would sell like crazy … but in fact, they proved unpopular sellers. It goes to show that it’s important to test. Sometimes your most confident assumptions could be incorrect.

Fun Fact

Nikko swears that the applications for 3D printing are endless. As a matter of fact, he’s even used his printer to create custom shelving and a velociraptor shower head for his kids!

Notes from Chris

Episode 977

For his day job, Nikko Mendoza controls natural gas lines to make sure they’re safe. And like a lot of parents who work long hours, he’s always looking for a way to make the time he had to spend with his kids really count. Two years ago, this desire converged with another goal of his: to earn a substantial income apart from his day job.

His two young children loved dressing up in costumes, superheroes being a particular favorite. Iron Man was one of their favorites, so he wanted to build an Iron Man suit.

And he did. His first full suit was crafted from foam floor mats. It looked okay for an initial attempt, but he wanted to improve. When he found an Instagram post showing an Iron Man suit with incredible detail, Nikko was intrigued. He reached out to the creator who told him the suit was 3D printed. This led to better costumes for his kids … and what he called Nikko Industries in December 2017.

It started by reselling designs for others to purchase and use to print out their own costumes and props. He made a website using Wix and ran a Facebook group where he promoted his designs. Costs were a little over $1,000, including $800 for the 3D printer itself. He used a pre-order method for his designs so there was no out of pocket expense.

On his website, Nikko Industries, he sells digital files that buyers can print themselves. But realizing that not many people own 3D printers, Nikko also decided to print out the designs and sell them through an Etsy store. The designs cost Nikko between $13-$20 to print, and they sell for $75-$100.

When Nikko opened the store, he set his goals low, hoping to bring in around $200 in the first month. But he underestimated his customer’s desire for a costume that would blow typical cosplay outfits out of the water. He brought in $2,000 that first month. He actually had to halt the growth of the store as it was summer and he wanted to spend more time with his kids while they were on break.

In his first year, he had revenue of $50,000 but reinvested earnings back into the business. This year, he is on track for a revenue of $100,000, doubled sales in a year without spending a dime on advertising. After paying expenses and continuing to reinvest, he’s now taking home a profit of $3,000 or more each month.

This additional income is allowing Nikko to pay off debt incurred by a previously failed side hustle, a fitness bootcamp which saw him lose more than $100,000. (Lesson: don’t do that!) He’s also using the money to take his kids on vacations and save for a new home.

You can’t manufacture money using a 3D printer … but this is the next best thing.

 

 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • Nikko Industries: Learn more about what Nikko is printing up over on his website! And if you’d like to support his cosplaying efforts, head on over to his Patreon page
  • NikkoIndustries: Check out Nikko’s lineup over on his Etsy page!
  • 3D Printed Profits: Interested in learning more but think you may need a little extra help? Nikko has launched a course to help you start a 3D printing biz of your own!
  • 3D Printed Armor and Weapon Props: If you’re interested in the world of 3D printed cosplay, head on over to Nikko’s Facebook group

 

SEE ALSO:

Inspiration is good; inspiration combined with action is better. Now get back to work!

Yours in the revolution,

cg-sig-newsletter

Resources

CREATE YOUR ONLINE STORE

Create your online store with Shopify using an exclusive discount for Side Hustle School listeners. For a limited time, get a free 21-day trial and a 10% discount for a whole year.

Many Side Hustle School listeners are building sites using Shopify's easy-to-learn platform. Try it free today! Learn More

GET YOUR FIRST 1,000 EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS

Social media is nice, but building an email list is still the single best way to get customers and clients for your hustle. It's not hard to get started—sign up for a 30-day trial and join the list-building challenge! You’ll be up and running in no time. Learn More

Quote of the Day
"Find your niche—they aren’t lying when they say that there are riches are in niches! From there, produce quality products and content, and be engaged in whatever market you’re in."
—Nikko Mendoza #SideHustleSchool

Sponsors & Gratitude

Don't Do Business Without It

Side Hustle School is brought to you by American Express.

No matter what you do in business, from working nine-to-five to working five-to-nine, it’s easier when you don’t go it alone. Get the powerful backing of American Express—don't do business without it! 💳 Visit American Express

Like the Show? Leave a Rating!

Side Hustle School is for you! If you’re enjoying it, please take a quick moment to leave a rating or write a quick review. It's really easy and it makes a difference! ✅

It also makes a huge difference when you tell your friends about the show. Remember, it's 100% free and listener-supported.
Here's How

Keep in Touch

There’s a new story every single day on Side Hustle School. Episodes are produced to be short and to the point—I know you’re busy. Be sure you subscribe to get instant notification of the day’s broadcast!


To infinity and beyond,

Chris Guillebeau

Mochi-Making Empire Produces Profits and Delight

What It’s About

An English teacher cooks up delectable Airbnb Experiences!

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

Part of what I love about this episode is that we’ve not really focused on Airbnb Experiences before. Lots of people have great ideas for activities, tours, or classes—but don’t have a way to connect with enough customers. This is one of the biggest benefits of partnering with Airbnb or Verlocal!

Interested in starting an Airbnb Experience of your own? Head here to sign up!

Fun Fact

According to the Japan Kagami Mochi Association, mochi is thought to contain the pure spirit of rice and thus be possessed with “Toshigami,” a deity that is said to visit during the New Year’s period, bringing a good harvest and the blessing of ancestors.

Notes from Chris

Episode 976
Growing up, Kaori was surrounded by Japanese cooking. Her mother is Japanese, and her grandmother owned a ramen shop in Japan. Kaori dove deep into these roots and became skilled at making ramen from scratch.

While in college studying to be an English teacher, Kaori started teaching her mad ramen skills at a local cooking school. Soon, she expanded to offer other forms of Asian cuisine. SHE LOVED IT! Even though she wasn’t formally trained, she had a knack for communicating culinary concepts, and her classes were popular. What she learned for her education degree ended up being helpful for her time in cooking classes—so she eventually left her high school teaching career to focus on them.

Here’s where the mochi comes in. Kaori moved to the Bay Area and formally started her business, which she called Kaori’s Kitchen.

She knew her credibility came from her heritage as a “hapa” or half Japanese woman. Her mom had been making mochi for local festivals for many years and taught Kaori. Mochi is from Japan and is made to celebrate the new year. It’s so iconic to Japanese New Year that mochi is likened to the Christmas tree or Star of David in terms of symbolism.

With the success of her ramen classes in mind, Kaori developed a Mochi Making Class. Mochi ice cream was gaining popularity among ice cream lovers, but there wasn’t anyone in the Bay Area teaching it. In her class, Kaori, sometimes along with her mom, teaches how to make mochi five different ways. The class begins with mochi in a traditional soup. Participants then learn to make sweet mochi three ways with many topping options. To finish, everyone gets to fry and glaze a mochi donut.

But of course, she needed a way to get people to her classes. She first found a platform called Verlocal. Verlocal is a booking platform for experiences, such as cooking, hiking, and painting. Kaori focused on team building classes. Word soon got out that her mochi classes were amazing. She started to receive direct booking emails from companies in San Francisco and Silicon Valley. Kaori’s Kitchen was taking off!

Within two months, the Saturday mochi classes she offered there were full … and have been ever since. In the beginning, Kaori charged a lowly $35 per person. Experience, reputation, and over 200 positive reviews allowed Kaori to increase her price to $75 per person. Currently, her classes are booked through Airbnb Experiences, Verlocal, and her own website, KaorisKitchen.com.

The business is bringing in a bit more than $90,000 a year in revenue. $24,000 comes in from Airbnb Experiences, making it a key partner. Kaori estimates each class has an average 75% profit margin because her costs are low. She runs most of them out of her home kitchen or she travels to the business hosting a team-building event. Plus, the ingredients are reasonable as the main ingredient in mochi is rice.

She’s now writing a book about starting an experience-based side hustle. She believes everyone is passionate about something, so why not make money doing what you love? A lot of millenials (and others) put a higher value on experiences than things, so the market is ready for experienced-based businesses. Kaori intends to self publish her book this November on Amazon. In addition, a publisher asked her to write a mochi cookbook. That’s in the works and should come out in 2020.

By focusing on her core expertise, and connecting with the right platforms that reach active travelers, she’s building security while sharing her knowledge.

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • Kaori’s Kitchen: See what’s cooking over on Kaori’s website!
  • Weebly: The platform that Kaori used to create her website for Kaori’s Kitchen
  • Airbnb & Verlocal: The two platfroms that Kaori used to list her mochi and ramen making classes

SEE ALSO:

Inspiration is good; inspiration combined with action is better. Now get back to work!

Yours in the revolution,

cg-sig-newsletter

Resources

WEB HOSTING @ $2.49/MONTH

Want to build any kind of website for your hustle? If so, you'll need somewhere to host it! This is the reliable company I've used for many websites. It's cheap, flexible, and offers support 24-7.

Get your own hosting plan for just $2.49 a month!
Learn More

GET $625 IN FREE TRAVEL

Earn 50,000 travel rewards points (enough for 2 round-trip plane tickets or $625 in travel credit). You'll also earn 2x points on all travel and dining spend, with zero foreign transaction fees.

I use this card every day all over the world! ✈️ Learn More

Quote of the Day
"Many people crave ‘the side hustle life’. They want to make money doing what they love and not have to work all of the time. They want flexibility and joy in what they do, and I believe that Airbnb Experiences and the experience industry allows you to do that."
—Kaori Becker #SideHustleSchool

Sponsors & Gratitude

Try ShipStation for 60 Days FREE!

Today’s episode of Side Hustle School is brought to you by ShipStation, the #1 choice of online sellers. 📦

To get a 30-day trial AND an additional month free, click the microphone at the top of their page and enter the word HUSTLE.
Get it Here

Like the Show? Leave a Rating!

Side Hustle School is for you! If you’re enjoying it, please take a quick moment to leave a rating or write a quick review. It's really easy and it makes a difference! ✅

It also makes a huge difference when you tell your friends about the show. Remember, it's 100% free and listener-supported.
Here's How

Keep in Touch

There’s a new story every single day on Side Hustle School. Episodes are produced to be short and to the point—I know you’re busy. Be sure you subscribe to get instant notification of the day’s broadcast!


To infinity and beyond,

Chris Guillebeau